LINKIN PARKP.O.D.HOOBASTANKSTORY OF THE YEAR
March 6, 2004
Philips Arena - Atlanta, GA

Love it or hate it, this is
rock and roll circa now. The attitude was there, the performances were there. The
crowd was there.

The surprise of the night was Story
Of The Year. Im not exaggerating when I say that this is easily the most energetic
band Ive ever seen. It was as if Lou Perlman (N Sync, Backstreet Boys) had
decided to manufacture a nu-metal band full of gymnasts. These guys did full back-flips
off of risers, over each other and even with audience members for the duration of their
short set. They never stopped to breathe and they kept taking it higher. I cant
remember their songs, but their show was unbelievable. Of all the bands on this bill, I
look forward to the return of SOTY the most.

Near the end of Story Of The
Years set, the pranks began. This being the final night of the tour, the typical
shenanigans were a must. Linkin Parks crew, dressed in Hawaiian shirts, began
dismantling the drum kit in mid-song. The band just kept flitting around, undoubtedly
plotting their revenge.

Story Of The Year

Hoobastank

Hoobastank, on the other hand,
was just there. They did their thing, ran through the few hits and stretched it out
with filler but there was absolutely nothing special or memorable about their songs or
performance. It was workmanlike and they did appear to be enjoying themselves, but the
songs stuck in the brain only as long as they were being performed. On an interesting
note, lead singer Doug Robb announced the presence of Ludacris to the crowd. They booed
viciously. Robb, completely shocked about Atlanta not having the love, then
mentioned OutKast to even more raspberries. I found this funny coming from a crowd that so
loves bands obviously heavily influenced by hip-hop. Hoobastank simply changed the subject
and moved on.

While P.O.D.s set was a
bit more uplifting, the song remained mostly the same. Detuned guitars with
pseudo-rap-singing over a thundering beat were the order of the night. Linkin Park sounded
and handled the stage best, but P.O.D. had the best songs. Songs like Alive
and Youth Of A Nation are fast becoming classics in a genre that has few.
Front man Sonny never even had to sing a word of the choruses. He just turned it over to
the packed house to do his job while he smiled and slapped hands with those who paid to
see him. Their sound was a bit muddy but their heavy use of Sabbath-like lasers and
dramatic stage set made them stand apart from the other acts.

P.O.D.

Linkin Park:

Headliner
Linkin Park fared the best. Their material conjured something very similar to Nine Inch
Nails moody moments, but LP lacked the spiritual exorcism and existential power of
Trent Reznors work. Lead screamer Chester Bennington stalked the stage and belted
out notes that werent unlike what I imagine a hog castration might sound like. The
nearly sold out crowd ate it up. It felt like a rock show. My problem was that these guys
looked a little too old to be going through such adolescent dilemmas themselves. It felt a
bit forced. They served it up to the audience in massive doses, though, and judging from
the reaction, Linkin Park are striking a chord with their mostly teenaged male fans. The
mood was best captured during One Step Closer, which is an emotionally
superior version of Limp Bizkits Break Something. Hearing and seeing a
crowd of riled up, hormonally supercharged young men repeatedly yelling Shut up when
Im talking to you like they were fighting for their lives was a little
unnerving. I just hope they use this to get that violence out of their system instead of
as a warm up for something more sinister.

Near the end of Linkin
Park's set, Story Of The Year showed up during one of the more dramatic,
teeth-gnashing numbers to retaliate with their own idea of last night antics, attacking
the band with blow-up love dolls and humping to the dramatic beat. Linkin Parks
Chester Bennington completely got fouled up with laughter while the other bands slowly
filtered into the lights. Hoobastank came out with Nerf footballs, tossing across the
stage and playing catch with audience members. P.O.D. then emerged from the shadows as
well. Before long, the crew showed up, too, and about 100 people were on stage. This was a
fun, unexpected ending to a long, predictable night.